www.paintshow.com.br
PAINT & PINTURA
Outubro 2011
11
mentally friendly, but also quality-
-assured, high-performance products
regularly available at competitive
prices.
Today’s primary market requirements
can be summed up as low VOC, short
curing times, flexibility, stability,
adhesion to various substrates, low
viscosity, bright color and low odor,
as well as mechanical and physical
strength.
Organic Pigments - The green
reality
In each market segment, the replace-
ment of inorganic pigments based on
heavy metals with organic and non-
toxic inorganic pigments is a fact in
a variety of situations. For example,
regulations have been enacted for de-
corative paints preventing the use of
inorganic pigments, which means full
replacement in this particular seg-
ment. There are other examples, such
as industrial coatings, where heavy-
-metal pigments are still used. Never-
theless, for the most part, the trends
towards replacing pigments contai-
ning heavy metals is irreversible, at a
different pace in each segment.
For now, this replacement affects
mostly some lead and cadmium-based
inorganic pigments. It started in
large companies, and then spread to
medium-sized and small manufactu-
rers too.
Despite the dramatically increasing
replacement of inorganic pigment
with organic ones, especially in pri-
marily exporting industries, prices, in
many cases, are still the main bar-
rier to this replacement, along with
technical properties. Today, however,
technologies are being used to develop new-gene-
ration organic pigments with properties that were
until now exclusive to inorganic pigments.
Manufacturers of plastics, printing inks and, es-
pecially, automotive and industrial and coatings
have been performing this replacement in a gradual
manner. Even though there are no specific regula-
tions for some segments, companies are realizing
that organic pigments are so much better in terms
of health and environment that the added costs are
acceptable.
Industry in the Spotlight - Committed to
distribution
With seventy years of business underpinned by four
pillars —quality, responsiveness, competitiveness
and commitment—, Química Anastácio celebrates